1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process for the production of gelatino silver halide photographic light-sensitive material having a high content of silver halide. More particularly, it relates to a process for the production of a gelatino silver halide photographic light-sensitive material having, on a non-hygroscopic film support having good dimensional stability, a gelatino silver halide emulsion layer having a silver halide to gelatin ratio (by weight) of higher than 0.8, preferably from 1.0 to 4.0, and a protective layer containing gelatin.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The drying of gelatino silver halide photographic light-sensitive materials is conducted, after applying various layers to a support such as a gelatino silver halide emulsion layer and a gelatin-containing protective layer, by (a) setting the layers by contacting them with low-temperature air having a dry-bulb temperature of from -10.degree. to 10.degree.C, (b) supplying to the layers air having a dry-bulb temperature of 15.degree.-45.degree.C and a relative humidity of 10-35% in accordance with the dried state of the layers while carrying the light-sensitive material by means of either a suspension-type carrying method, a straight-type carrying method, an arch-type carrying method, a zigzag-type carrying method, or an air-support type carrying method, and c) then supplying thereto air having a dry-bulb temperature of 20.degree.-26.degree.C and a relative humidity of 50-75%. The photographic light-sensitive material thus dried has a moisture content suitable for storing for a long period of time.
The drying method described above gives good results in the drying of photographic light-sensitive material having a low silver halide content but one encounters difficulty by using the process in the drying of a photographic light-sensitive material having a high silver halide content to be used in a quick process and for high sensitivity and high resolving power.
In other words, when a photographic light-sensitive material having a high content of silver halide dried by the above-mentioned process is subjected to a developing process, the formation of fog is remarkably increased ("fog" as used in the present specification is defined as the amount of silver in the non-exposed portion of the emulsion layer reduced by the development).
This tendency is particularly remarkable when a gelatin-containing protective layer is formed on a high-content silver halide photographic light-sensitive material which utilizes a non-hygroscopic film having good dimensional stability, such as a polyester film as the support.
The above-mentioned difficulty is caused by the following reasons. Namely, as the weight ratio of silver halide to gelatin in the gelatino silver halide emulsion layer increases, the gelatin suddenly shrinks due to the action of the low-humidity air and the silver halide in the emulsion layer is apt to be influenced by this straining of the gelatin. Further, the tendency is accelerated when a film such as a polyester film, a polycarbonate film or a polystyrene film is used as the support, caused by the low shrinkability and the lack of hygroscopivity.
Therefore, an object of this invention is to provide a process for producing a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material having a high content of silver halide and having a silver halide emulsion layer and a protective layer on a non-hygroscopic support having good dimensional stability.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a drying process for a high-content silver halide photographic light-sensitive material without being accompanied with increased fog formation.